Diary of a First-Time Homebuyer: The House

Hello! I am excited to share with you the house we have picked out!

I was able to go over there yesterday for a few minutes to take some measurements, and a few photos so I can show you what we are in the process of buying.

First, for those of you who haven’t been following this journey with me, you can find the whole series at the following link:

Diary of a First Time Homebuyer

The house we have chosen is a rambler just a mile or two away from the home we are currently renting in Kansas City, MO.

We picked it based on the fact that it met most of our criteria for the perfect home for us, in particular, the kitchen, entertainment, and studio space needs that we have.

The garage flows directly into an extended basement that houses both the laundry/utility room, as well as a large open ‘L’ shaped space with a half bath off of it. This will be the music recording/rehearsal space. It isn’t finished, but that is ok. A little soundproofing, and a few large rugs, and this place will be the perfect spot to make music in. The attachment to the garage makes for easy load in/out!

The backyard has a few challenges. It is mostly dirt right now and has some hills and needs a few retaining walls. There is a nice flat spot, which I plan to seed for some grassy area and the rest after retaining walls are put up, will be hardscaped with shrubberies to strengthen the ground. This will be a long-term project of course, and for now, the huge new deck off the kitchen will be my outdoor entertaining area.

Hardwood throughout except in one of the 3 bedrooms. Bedrooms are a decent size, not the largest, but big enough for us. I am happy that one of these bedrooms will become my writing room/art studio! No more desk in the living room! The living room in the new house is a good size, and is connected to the kitchen and dining nook.

One and one-half bath upstairs, and a half bath in the basement. The bathrooms on the upper level have recently been redone!

Last but certainly not least, my favorite part. THE KITCHEN!!!

This kitchen has been recently remodeled, all the appliances are brand new, and the cabinets are pretty new as well. There has been a skylight added, and there is plenty of space for a rollaway island which I intend to DIY, creating a rollaway bar/butcher block suitable for kitchen prep or drink service.  The door leads straight onto the large deck, making it super easy for outdoor gathering service. This kitchen is really just a dishwasher and a double oven away from being my dream kitchen. Can’t beat that for a first home!

And that’s all the photos I have for you for now.

I have been going crazy looking at paint swatches and area rugs for the last day and I am brimming with anticipation as we enter the new week under contract to buy this place!

This week we will schedule the inspections and appraisal, and we are anxiously awaiting our expected closing date of February 13th!

This is all happening so fast, and I am beside myself!

I am so happy to have you all to share this milestone in my life with. Thanks for reading!